Phliadelphia Stories: Push to Publish Conference 2012/be there?

Last March I had the great fun of organizing Young Writers Take the Park with The Spiral Bookcase—an event that provided young area writers with the chance to be celebrated, to be heard, to be published, and to participate in a workshop that Elizabeth Mosier and I conducted.  These young writers also spent time talking with my writer friends A.S. King, April Lindner, and Susan Campbell Bartoletti (as well as Elizabeth, of course).  It was a great day made even greater by the presence of Christine Weiser, who stands, slim but steadfast, at the whirligig center of Philadelphia's writing world.  It was Christine who offered these young writers a chance to be published in her beautiful magazine, Philadelphia Stories, Jr.  It was Christine who produced this video of the day.

Among the many other things that Miss Christine does is produce the annual Push to Publish Conference, which is held at Rosemont College each fall.  One year I was honored by an invitation to serve as the keynote speaker (and accepted, of course).  This year—October 13, 9 AM to 5 PM—I'll be joining the YA panel.  Literally dozens of remarkable agents, editors, and writers will be offering advice and telling war stories, even looking over manuscripts, and I never hear anything but extremely good things from the many who attend this conference each year.  Who doesn't want a chance to meet with editors and agents?  Who isn't beguiled by my friends Kelly Simmons and Kathye Fetsko Petrie?  Who doesn't want to hear what the keynoter, Kevin McIlvoy, has to say?  Who isn't keen on collecting some shiny wisdom pearls from Gregory Frost, Lise Funderburg, Don Lafferty, Jon McGoran, Catherine Stine, Dennis Tafoya, and Nancy Viau?

I see your eyes lighting up.  I can feel you thinking.  I hope to see you there.

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For the record

my camera was found. 

This, then, is how it looked on Saturday inside the very cool indie, The Spiral Bookcase.

This is also how it looked as teen writers leaned forward, toward their stories.

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Young Writers Take the Park...In Pictures (thanks to Christine Weiser)

With my camera slipped into oblivion (at least for the time being), I could not do one of my favorite things yesterday, which is to document the day being lived.

You can imagine my joy, then, when the ever-delightful Christine Weiser sent along the link to her slide show of the Pretzel Park portion of Young Writers Take the Park.  Part of yesterday's great happiness lay in listening to the fabulous musicians (including Melrose Q) who joined in the festivities.  All of that was recorded here, by Christine, who creates and runs Philadelphia Stories.

Rain was hovering.  The wind blew.  The sky was a mean Brillo pad.  The intrepid did not care.  Thank you, Christine, for the gift of this show.  Thank you, Melrose Q, for the music.  (Yes, I was the one who was dancing.)

And thank you, teen workshoppers (and teachers, families, friends, great authors, fabulous indie The Spiral Bookcase).  The work Elizabeth Mosier and I bore witness to yesterday was so full of heart and soul and goodness.

Case in point, this poem by Davis O'Leary.  Davis, who goes to T/E Middle School, was one of our winners, and he set the tone for the afternoon with this piece, which he crafted in about three minutes flat:

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Community

Sense of one is a part of more

Feeling of interests in others’ worth

Walking on the same path, whether exciting or bore

Keeping all the secrets of our mind we swore.

Monotonous people, even them we hold close,

Being a part of something bigger is what we love most.

In this group we all feel like the host

So, to the sense of togetherness, I toast.

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We Took the Park

This is not a photograph of our young writers; I lost my camera in the great activity of this Young Writers Take the Park Day.  But it is a photograph of my hometown, Wayne, and it is an image of kids hurrying toward their future.

Elizabeth Mosier, April Lindner, A.S. King, and Susan Campbell Bartoletti—I am so grateful to you for the time you spent today, for the hugeness of your hearts, for being there.  The rain threatened, but it did not fall.  The workshop writers came, and oh, did they write.  And when it came time for the teen winners to read their work aloud, not one of them faltered.  Clear voiced and big hearted, they announced their talent to the world.

A huge thank you to Ann of The Spiral Bookcase who made the event happen, to the renowned authors who took this afternoon out of their lives for kids, to Jamie-Lee Josselyn of Penn who brought her great spirit and news of the future, to Christine Weiser of Philadelphia Stories (and Philadelphia Stories Jr.), and to the teachers and parents who opened the door (and provided transportation).

Finally, Elizabeth Mosier:  I have taught a lot of workshops in my day.  Today, working in unison with you, will always be remembered fondly.  Thank you for everything.

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Young Writers Take the Park (redux)

Preparations for Young Writers Take the Park continue at a furious pace, and I want to extend my gratitude to those teachers who—despite all the pressures attendant with the standardized testing that sweeps through these parts in March—have encouraged their young writers to put forth submissions and to consider joining us for both the workshop and the afternoon of readings, signings, and songs.

If any of you are interested in participating in the workshops or the day itself, please double click on the poster above or feel free to contact either myself or The Spiral Bookcase.

For the rest of you — please join Susan Campbell Bartoletti, A.S. King, April Lindner, Elizabeth Mosier, some fantastic teen writers, and myself for an afternoon in Pretzel Park.

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